Any other Chiffers play the Mandolin?

Geraint · Post by **Geraint** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 3:52 pm

I've got one on order. Should be here next week

Then I'l have to learn to play the thing

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 4:37 am

I second mountain dulcimers.

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 9:28 am

Flyingcursor wrote:I second mountain dulcimers.

I don't know that I've ever seen a dulcimer outside of catalogues. How are they tuned and how does one play them? If what I'm picturing in my mind from the Hobgoblin cataloge was a dulcimer it seemed to have frets which were unequally spaced (as if maybe trying to eliminate sharp/flat notes?!

Montana · Post by **Montana** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 12:51 pm

Okay, first of all, what's a banjar? Part banjo, part guitar?

I have a Dean mandolin. Never heard of it but a friend gave (yes, gave) it to me and who was I to say no?
It's good because while I love celtic music, most of my friends play old-time. Since I don't practice those tunes on the whistle (and would get some awnry looks from the trad old-time folks if I tried to play a whistle), I figured mando was something I could play with my friends. But with limited time, my whistle comes first as far as practice time so I never get anywhere with the mando. I can sit outside the circle and pick up the tunes as they're played but my right hand isn't trained so I can't play the runs. I would like to get better but it would take more time than I can give it right now.

wolvy · Post by **wolvy** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 3:44 pm

I play a lot of mandolin. I find it difficult to play Irish music well on it. In fact very few can do it well. I have to put Marla Fibish up there as one of the best Irish mandolin players. She is amazing. She teaches at Lark Camp every year and her workshops are excellent.

missy · Post by **missy** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 4:00 pm

buddhu wrote:
Flyingcursor wrote:I second mountain dulcimers.
I don't know that I've ever seen a dulcimer outside of catalogues. How are they tuned and how does one play them? If what I'm picturing in my mind from the Hobgoblin cataloge was a dulcimer it seemed to have frets which were unequally spaced (as if maybe trying to eliminate sharp/flat notes?!

Buddhu - I've got to go out and walk Citizen's on Patrol, but I'll answer your question more in depth later today or tomorrow.
In the meantime, to hear the mountain dulcimer (well, actually, two of them, a "regular" voice and a bass) played, listen to the MP3s on our site........

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 5:05 pm

missy wrote:
buddhu wrote:
Flyingcursor wrote:I second mountain dulcimers.
I don't know that I've ever seen a dulcimer outside of catalogues. How are they tuned and how does one play them? If what I'm picturing in my mind from the Hobgoblin cataloge was a dulcimer it seemed to have frets which were unequally spaced (as if maybe trying to eliminate sharp/flat notes?!
Buddhu - I've got to go out and walk Citizen's on Patrol, but I'll answer your question more in depth later today or tomorrow.
In the meantime, to hear the mountain dulcimer (well, actually, two of them, a "regular" voice and a bass) played, listen to the MP3s on our site........

Oh cool! Thanks very much, Missy!

Trouble is that I think I want one now...

chattiekathy · Post by **chattiekathy** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 10:02 pm

Good Job Missy! Another one caught!

Dulcimer is one of the most fun instruments there is to play. Lots of different ways to play them too. It can be super easy or you can make it very difficult.

Go for it Buddhu! You have to go to http://www.everythingdulcimer.com and read about them. There is even a great forum there too.

Cheers,
Kathy (owner of 4 mountain dulcimers and 1 hammered dulcimer)

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 2:40 am

chattiekathy wrote: Good Job Missy! Another one caught!

Dulcimer is one of the most fun instruments there is to play. Lots of different ways to play them too. It can be super easy or you can make it very difficult.

Go for it Buddhu! You have to go to http://www.everythingdulcimer.com and read about them. There is even a great forum there too.

Cheers,
Kathy (owner of 4 mountain dulcimers and 1 hammered dulcimer)

It might have to wait a while. The banjo is only a couple of months old. If I start spending out on more instruments I suspect that my lovely wife, despite her natural restraint and calm, would nail me to the barn door.

We have an outbuilding we call 'the barn', so please don't think I meant the above metaphorically...

I'm definitely dulcimer-curious.

chattiekathy · Post by **chattiekathy** » Thu Sep 15, 2005 11:09 am

I know all about that. When my hubby comes home from the Train Shop and says did you buy that dulcimer you were watching on ebay? I have to check the back of the truck to see if he has brought home an engine or something.

I can tell when he feels guilty. I just send him to the barn... Oh well, he has to go there anyway to milk the cows. I guess it's not the same for you.

You can buy a fairly nice sounding student model for about $100. Check out the Sweet Music instruments made by Dave Lynch on Missy's website.

Cheers,
Kathy

Scott McCallister · Post by **Scott McCallister** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 10:13 am

I am currently learning Mando and Octave Mando. My little Mandolin is a Fender model FM-52E with the electric pickup. Such a sweet little sound. I have had that one for about 5 years and I am just so impressed with the agility of such an instrument.

More Recenlty I got a Johnson MA-550 Octave Mandolin. It is so coool! Really full sounding. A great rhythm and melody instrument. I am having such a blast with this new baby!

I found that these two resources were pretty valuable having played guitar so long.

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 10:46 am

Montana wrote:Okay, first of all, what's a banjar? Part banjo, part guitar?

I don't know what the poster above was referring to, but "banjar" is often used in old-time and b'grass circles interchangably with "banjo". It's supposedly an approximation of the name of the african instrument which becamse the banjo, but I have yet to be completely convinced of that.

There have been various historical attempts at guitar-banjo miscegenation, but as far as I know these are generally called prosaic names like "guitar-banjo" or "banjo-guitar".

missy · Post by **missy** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 11:45 am

or the mando-banjitar:

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:40 pm

missy wrote:or the mando-banjitar:

You're sick!

Edited to add:
At first glance, the way the amp is positioned, it makes it look like he has his pants down around his ankles

missy · Post by **missy** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 1:31 pm

Tyler Morris wrote: You're sick!

I'm sick??? Nah - it's JIM that's sick!!! And actually, that's one of his more tame inventions!!!! You should see the thing he made to help people know what chord to play during a jam session.........